Garment-fastening.



Patented Feb. 27, I900.

c. scnou, 1n. GARMENT FASTENING.

Application filed Dec. 8, 1899.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES ATENT iuucE.

CARL SCHON, JR., OF CATONSVILLE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOCHARLOTTE E. NICOLAI, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GARMENT-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,471, dated February27, 1900. Application filed December 8, 1899. Serial No. 739,682. (Nomodel.)

\ To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL SOHON, Jr. a citizen of the United States,residing at Catonsville, in the county of Baltimore and State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGarment-Fastenings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to garment-fastenings; and it consists in an eyeor loop of peculiar form and construction adapted to be attached to agarment without the aid of sewing and without any attaching means otherthan such as are formed with and as a part of the device itself.

In the accompanying drawings, which are on an enlarged or exaggeratedscale to better show the construction, Figure 1 is an elevation of ablank suitable for the formation of the improved eye; Fig. 2, aperspective view of the device ready for application to a fabric orgarment; Fig. 3, an edge view or elevation of the same; Fig. 4:, a topplan view thereof; Fig. 5, a perspective view illustrating the manner ofapplying the device to a fabric; Fig. 6, a perspective view of theopposite side of the fabric, showing the position and appearance of thepenetrating and fastening points; Fig. 7, a perspective view showing therear face of the fabric with the points or ends pressed down andextended diagonally across the under side of the device; Fig. 8, asimilar View showing the ends turned down, but arranged parallel withthe bearing or base portions of the device on the front face of thefabric; Figs. 9 and 10, face elevations of the retaining-points arrangedas in Figs. 7 and 8.

Prior to this invention various devices had been contrived to securetogether separable portions of garments, such as plackets, dresswaists,and the like. The common hook and eye is found inconvenient in manyinstances, at least as to the eye, because of the difficulty of causingthe hook to properly engage therewith where the eye is located out ofthe range of vision. Moreover, the eye requires to be stitched in placeand is undesirably noticeable, its fastening or thread-receivin gportions extending some distance backward from the bend of the hookwhich engages with it and requiring a comparatively-Wide projection ofthe hook-carrying portion to conceal it. A

cord, tape, or band stitched to the garment, but left free at intervalsfor the engagement therewith of books, has also been proposed; but thislikewise proves unsatisfactory in many cases, being difficult tomaintain in proper shape and liable to rip or become detached.

After experimenting with a great variety of forms of eye I haveascertained that sev- 6o eral features are essential or at least highlyimportant to the attainment of the result in View. Thus there must be arelatively-broad bearing or support for the eye on the outer side of thefabric and preferably on the innor face thereof as well. So, too, thedevice must be fastened or held at two points sufficiently separated toprevent the eye from twisting or turning and thus getting out of properposition, such displacement materi- 7o ally increasing the difficulty ofengaging a hook therein. Lastly, the fabric should be firmly clamped orheld between the supporting base or surface and the retaining points orfastenings. 'lhese several results I attain in a thoroughly-satisfactorymanner by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, A indicates a blank which may be cut from a metalstrip, preferably a narrow fiat strip with slightly-rounded edges. Sucha strip is conveniently produced by rolling and flattening a round wire.This gives to the finished article a smooth and slightlyrounded edge,which lessens the liability to cut or fray the goods or to mar thefabric where the hook-carrying portion comes in contact with the eyes.This blank A is preferably and for economys sake cut obliquely ordiagonally on parallel lines at its opposite 9o ends, as in Fig. l; butthe inclination may be reversed at opposite ends or the point may beformed in any other suitable shape. The blank thus produced is bent orfolded about a suitable mandrel to form a loop or eye a of a size andshape to conveniently receive a. hook or like fastening, with which itis to be used. This loop is formed of that portion of the blank Aoccupying its mid-length,the two portions of the blank on opposite sidesof the loop a being brought into common plane and carried past eachother on parallel lines, as

plainly shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. At or about the point where thebends b of the loop are formed, or, in other words, at each end of theloop, blank A is turned downward at right angles, or substantially so,to form the fastening legs or points 0, Figs. 5 to 10, inclusive. Thiscompletes the eye ready for application to the garment.

To attach the device to a fabric, I make use of a mandrel B, which maybe simply a piece of rolled or flattened wire slightly pointed at theend to facilitate its introduction into the eye or loop a and of across-section to fit and fill said eye or loop. This mandrel being inserted into the loop a serves asa handle to hold the eye and as a leverby which to force its points 0 through the fabric or garment, as

1 will be readily understood upon referring to Fig. 5, the pointspassing through the fabric and protruding beyond the face thereof, asshown in Fig. 6. The mandrel B is not at once withdrawn from the loop oreye a, but is allowed to remain therein while the points 0 are bent orflattened down upon the under face of the fabric, as shown in Figs. '7to 10, inclusive, the mandrel thus serving to prevent the flatteningdown or closing of the loop or eye through the pressure applied or theblow given to the points 0 to properly fold them down upon the fabric.

In practice I find it expedient to strike the points 0 a light but sharpblow with a small hammer, though I may use pincers or a like implementthus to set them or may press them down with any convenient tool. Thesharp blow, however, serves better to set the points, and by tapping theextreme points slightly they may be turned inward into or against thefabric, so as to prevent their catching into or being caught by anyfabric which may lie next to them in use.

The points 0 may be laid parallel with the folds (l and e, of which theyrespectively form prolongations, after the manner illustrated in Figs. 8and 10, or, as is preferred, they may be carried obliquely across thetwo folds d and e in the manner illustrated in .Figs. 7 and 9. Thelatter arrangement is preferred, for the reason that it gives to thedevice as a whole a better support on the illner or rear face of thefabric than does the parallel arrangement. In other words, each pointwhen arranged obliquely not only reaches across the under side of itsown upper fold d or 6, but also across the companion fold, and thus eachfold (Z or e gains a support reaching across its width and across thatof its companion, whereas under the parallel arrangement each fold getsfrom its own point a support across its own width alone.

It will be seen that under the construction above set forth the loop a,which may be quite narrow, gets a relatively-broad support on the upperor outer face of the fabric-that is to say, a support twice its ownwidth-and it is held to the fabric by two separate legs passing throughthe fabric at somewhat widely separated points, so that the devicecannot twist or turn out of place. The broad bearing above the fabricproduced by the folds (Z 0 serves to protect said fabric against wear orabrasion by the hook or other fastening which engages the eye, thusovercoming a difficulty incident to the use of common eyes, cords, andthe like. Lastly, the fabric is firmly clamped and held between thebearing-face formed by the folds d and e of the device and the legs orfastening-points 0 thereof. As a consequence the eye or loop a onceproperly set upon the fabric will always maintain its proper relationthereto and standing up away from the face of the fabric will enable thehook or other fastening to be readily and certainly engaged therein, andthis may be done even though the user be unable to see the eye and thehook when effecting their engagement.

While I have stated that rolled wire is preferred for the production ofthese eyes, it is to be understood that I do not at all restrict myselfthereto, but may use wire of any cross-section, sheet metal, or thinmetal in any form suited to their production. The choice of metal or ofalloy will depend upon the particular use and the desired color. Thedevices may be made of any required size and may be plated, enameled, orcolored in any well-known way, as circumstances may require.

I am aware that eyes, clips, and fastenings have been made in a greatvariety of forms, both of sheet metal and of wire, and that under someconstructions an eye has been formed to project above one face of asheet or package of sheets, while legs pass through the same and areflattened upon the back to retain the eye in position. I am not aware,however, that any one has ever before produced an open and unobstructedeye and carried the two ends of the metal in opposite directions pasteach other in a common plane to produce a bearing and protecting surfaceto rest upon the outer face of the fabric, sheet, or body and withfastening-legs to pass through and be flattened down upon said body onits rear or under face, so as to clamp said body firmly between theouter bearing-surface and the inturned or folded legs, nor am I awarethat it has ever before been proposed to carry the fastening-legs ofsuch an eye obliquely across the under or rear face of thesupporting-base of the device. These features I mean to claim broadlyand without restriction to the specific form of the points, thecross-section, or the character of the material or the size or thespecial use of the device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. An eye orfastener member, consisting of a piece of metal bent or folded to forman open and unobstructed loop or eye, the two ITO end portions of theblank being carried in common plane past each other to form abearing-surface for such loop or eye, and thence turned downward to formfastening legs or points.

2. The herein-described eye or fastener, comprising the open andunobstructed loop a, bearing portions 01 and e, and legs 0-.

3. A loop or eye for dress-fas'tenings and the like, comprising the baseor bearing por tion d, e; the open and unobstructed loop or eye atextending obliquely across said bearing-face; and legs orfastening-points 0 extending downward from the under face of the bearingportion d, e.

4. In combination with afabric, an eye comprising an open andunobstructed loop a, bearing-surface d, e, and points 0, the latterpassing through the fabric and bent down upon OARI SOHON, JR.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. EOKER, ROBERT Booos, WM. H. J ONES.

